Our History

The Parish Symbol has evolved over the years.

In 1968 the "Christian Unity of Humankind" was the theme of the symbol adopted by the Parish Council.  Directed by the Communications Committee, parishioner Art Pavlich designed the symbol, using colors or shading to depict the colors of Humanity, all unified under the Cross of Christ.

In 2008 the "We are One Body" was the theme of the symbol adopted by the Parish Council as we began our Faith Raising Capital Campaign to build our new School and Faith Formation center.

In 2014 the Parish Symbol evolved again to unify the Parish and School.

Humble Beginnings

On February 12, 1960, Archbishop Thomas Connolly established the parish of Saint Louise de Marillac. The first Sunday Masses for the 700 families of the parish were offered in the Sammamish High School cafeteria on February 14, 1960. Formal ground-breaking ceremonies were held in December 1960, and construction started in January. The initial plans called for a ten classroom school, convent, and temporary church. The school opened in September 1961. The entire facility was formally dedicated by Archbishop Connolly in October 1961, on the Feast of Christ the King.

Less than a year after the dedication, there was a need for expansion, and so in April 1963, construction began on seven new school classrooms and additional storage space.

During the summer of 1975, the nearly empty convent was converted to an administrative center, and the parish offices were moved from the rectory.

Growing Through Change

The Parish gained approval from the Archdiocese in July 1978, to begin construction of a new gymnasium and major renovation of the existing church. The Lavelle Center gymnasium was completed and dedicated in mid-1979. The church was finished in early 1981 and dedicated Easter Sunday, April 19, 1981.

Looking to the Future

St. Louise Parish has grown from the original 700 families to more than 4300 currently registered families. In addition, during the fifty years of this parish's life two other parishes, Saint Madeleine Sophie and Saint Jude, were formed as an outgrowth of our parish. Our growth continues; our school has an enrollment exceeding 400, and our parish is one of the largest Catholic communities in Western Washington.

Saint Louise de Marillac was born in Paris on August 12, 1591. As she grew up she heard a call to the religious life, but on the advice of her confessor, she abandoned her calling and married an official of the French court.

After only 12 years of marriage, her husband died. Louise was then 34 years old. Before her husband's death, she had met St. Vincent de Paul, and the two of them organized groups of women willing to help St. Vincent's Confraternities of Charity, which he had founded to eliminate misery and ignorance in country districts of France.

In 1633, St. Louise drafted a rule of life that developed into the rule of the Daughters of Charity order. In 1642, some of the women took vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, and in 1655, the Pope approved the religious community. This community of women, founded by St. Louise, has been involved in extensive social work for 300 years.

St. Louise and St. Vincent were life-long collaborators and died within months of each other; St. Louise on March 15, 1660, and Saint Vincent on September 27, 1660. Saint Louise was beatified in 1920 and canonized by Pope Pius XI on March 11, 1934. In 1960, the year Saint Louise Parish was founded, Saint Louise de Marillac was formally declared the Patroness of the Social Worker at a special celebration in Paris honoring the 300th anniversary of the deaths of Saint Louise and Saint Vincent.